Softwr

LMS · head to head

Thinkific vs Whatfix

Thinkific logo

Thinkific

LMS

Create and sell online courses your way

From
$36/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Whatfix logo

Whatfix

LMS

In-application guidance and walkthroughs layered over enterprise software you did not build

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Thinkific no free plan, 14-day trial only; Whatfix whatfix publishes no pricing, and contracts are typically scoped per target application, so extending guidance from Salesforce to Workday is a new commercial negotiation rather than a configuration change.
  • They diverge on capability: Thinkific covers Course builder, Whatfix covers Interactive walkthroughs.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Thinkific and Whatfix actually diverge.

Attributes where Thinkific and Whatfix differ
AttributeThinkificWhatfix
Starting price$36/monthOn request
Pricing modelUnknownquote
PlatformsWeb, MobileWeb, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
Founded2012Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (LMS).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Thinkific

  • Course builder
  • Website builder
  • Quizzes
  • Certificates
  • Communities
  • Memberships
  • Marketing tools
  • Analytics

Only in Whatfix

  • Interactive walkthroughs
  • Self-help widget
  • Smart tips and beacons
  • Mirror sandbox
  • Product Analytics
  • Desktop and mobile support
  • Content localisation
  • Segmentation

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Thinkific

  • Course creationnot Whatfix
  • Membership sitesnot Whatfix
  • Coaching programsnot Whatfix
  • Corporate trainingnot Whatfix

Whatfix

  • An ERP or CRM go-live where thousands of employees must change how they work and classroom training will not reach them allnot Thinkific
  • Reducing support tickets on a system where the same five questions account for most of the help desk volumenot Thinkific
  • Improving data quality by placing field-level guidance where users consistently enter the wrong valuenot Thinkific
  • A regulated organisation that needs employees to practise a process in a simulated environment before touching production datanot Thinkific

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Thinkific

  • No free plan, 14-day trial only
  • Transaction fees on third-party payment processors (5% on Basic tier)
  • PayPal only available on Grow plan ($199/month), not on Basic or Start
  • Limited customization on lower-tier plans
  • Cannot embed courses in external domains or iframes
  • Limited number of spaces per plan
  • Less interactive community features compared to alternatives
  • Features continuously moved to higher-priced tiers
  • Payment processing delays reported (up to 90 days)

Whatfix

  • Whatfix publishes no pricing, and contracts are typically scoped per target application, so extending guidance from Salesforce to Workday is a new commercial negotiation rather than a configuration change.
  • Overlays are anchored to interface elements, so when the underlying vendor ships a UI change your guidance can break silently, and the user sees a walkthrough pointing at a button that has moved; ongoing content ownership is mandatory, not optional.
  • It masks poor interface design rather than fixing it, and organisations sometimes use it to avoid confronting a badly configured system, which leaves the underlying inefficiency in place and adds an annual licence to it.
  • Building good content is real work. A meaningful rollout takes weeks of authoring and testing per application, and the internal effort usually exceeds what the business case assumed.
  • Adding a JavaScript overlay to systems holding HR and financial data triggers a serious security review in regulated industries, and some organisations cannot get approval to inject third-party script into their ERP at all.

Pricing, plan by plan

Thinkific

$36/month
  • Basic$36/month
    • 1 course
    • Up to 500 students
    • Thinkific Payments (0% fees)
  • Start$74/month
    • Up to 3 courses
    • Up to 2,000 students
    • Third-party payment (3% fees)
  • Grow$149/month
    • Unlimited courses
    • Unlimited students
    • Third-party payment (0% fees)

Whatfix

On request
  • Whatfix$undefined/year
    • Annual contract priced by application and user volume
    • Each target application typically licensed separately
    • Mirror and Product Analytics sold as additional modules

Which should you pick?

Choose Thinkific if

  • You need course builder.
  • You work on Web, Mobile.
  • You also want website builder.
Thinkific review

Choose Whatfix if

  • You need interactive walkthroughs.
  • You work on Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
  • You also want self-help widget.
Whatfix review

Questions people ask

Is Thinkific or Whatfix better?
Neither clearly leads. Thinkific starts at $36/month and Whatfix at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Thinkific or Whatfix?
Thinkific starts at $36/month and Whatfix at On request.
Does Thinkific or Whatfix run on more platforms?
Thinkific runs on Web, Mobile. Whatfix runs on Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
What is Thinkific best used for?
Thinkific is most often used for course creation, membership sites, coaching programs, corporate training. Of those, course creation and membership sites are not what Whatfix is typically brought in for.
What can Thinkific do that Whatfix cannot?
Thinkific covers Course builder, Website builder, Quizzes, Certificates. Whatfix covers Interactive walkthroughs, Self-help widget, Smart tips and beacons, Mirror sandbox.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Thinkific: Does Thinkific have a free plan?

No. Thinkific does not offer a free plan but provides a 14-day free trial. Paid plans start at $36/month (Basic tier).

Source
Whatfix: How much does Whatfix cost?

It is not published. Pricing is annual and scoped by application and user volume, with Mirror and Product Analytics as separate modules.

Thinkific: Are there transaction fees on Thinkific?

Thinkific charges no transaction fees when using their built-in Thinkific Payments. Third-party payment processors incur 5% fees (Basic) down to 0% (Plus), plus 3.6% for Stripe with subscriptions.

Source
Whatfix: How does it compare with WalkMe?

Functionally similar. The commercial difference is that SAP acquired WalkMe in 2024, so non-SAP buyers increasingly shortlist Whatfix as the independent alternative.

Thinkific: What payment methods does Thinkific support?

PayPal is locked to Grow plan ($199/month). Basic and Start plans do not support PayPal, limiting payment options for international creators and potentially reducing conversions.

Source
Whatfix: Does it require changes to the target application?

No. It works as an overlay injected via a browser extension or a script, which is why the security review matters more than the technical effort.

Whatfix: Will guidance break when the vendor updates the UI?

It can. Content needs an owner who monitors and repairs it after vendor releases.

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